Nano-magnets guide stem cells to damaged tissue

Microscopic **magnetic particles** have been used to bring **stem cells** to sites of cardiovascular injury in a new method designed to increase the capacity of cells to repair **damaged tissue**, UCL scientists announced today. The cross disciplinary research, published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions, demonstrates a technique where **endothelial** progenitor cells – a type of stem cell shown to be important in vascular healing processes – have been magnetically tagged with a tiny iron-containing clinical agent, then successfully **targeted** to a site of arterial injury using a magnet positioned outside the body. "University College London":[ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0908/09081701]

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